The ethics of Foucault and Ricoeur: an underrepresented discussion in nursing

Paul Ricoeur and Michel Foucault enjoy a privileged status in nursing academia as two thinkers who influence both nursing research and philosophical explorations of nursing practice. Most nurse authors, however, focus only on the earlier works of these two philosophers and, for example, base qualitative research methodologies on Foucault's genealogy and Ricoeur's hermeneutics. In their later years, both these writers talk more explicitly about being an ethical self. Ideas from their earlier writing is evident in their writing on ethics and both writers could not discuss ethics without also exploring their ideas of the self and the other. I suggest that some of their thoughts on ethics connect with or complement each other quite well. I will first give an overview of Foucault's ethics, self and the other, and then do the same with Ricoeur's thought. In the third part of the paper I will describe how Foucault and Ricoeur complement each other, and conclude the paper by briefly suggesting how these writers influence my own practice as a nurse educator.     

Mentored residential writing retreats: a leadership strategy to develop skills and generate outcomes in writing for publication

There is an increasing expectation that academic and clinical nurses will contribute to disciplinary and professional discourses through scholarly writing. However, the difficulties and challenges associated with writing for publication mean that many papers will never be written. This current paper describes an innovative approach developed to support skill development and outcomes in writing for publication. Intensive residential writing retreats informed by the principles of servant leadership and incorporating strategies such as mentoring and peer learning were conducted in 2005 and 2007. Positive outcomes and benefits included publications submitted to peer-reviewed journals, as well as positive effects on collegial relationships, and team building. Novice writers benefited from intensive and sustained support and coaching by experienced writers. Organisational benefits included increased participation by staff and research higher degree students in publication activities, enhanced collegial relationships and opportunities for senior established writers to work with inexperienced writers.     

Writing for self-discovery: a semester-long journey at the graduate level.

Writing for self-discovery begins on the first day of class and continues throughout the semester. Class introduction compares this journey to flying an airplane, requiring adjustments to successfully reach the destination. A systems framework promotes writing-to-learn and writing as a self-discovery tool for graduate nursing administration students in this clinical preceptorship. Because writing-to-learn is an unfamiliar concept for many students, the process is incorporated into the self-evaluation tools of writing discovery and intention statements, keeping a clinical learning log, reflective questioning, and feedback strategies. The purpose is to foster the critical administrative processes of writing, thinking, analyzing, and synthesizing. Written instructor feedback probes the relationships between concepts and their relationships with students' learning. Future strategies will include additional formative and summative self-evaluative tools, including videotaping, to foster awareness of self in a written format for both students and instructor. The goal is to prepare master's graduates who are creative thinkers, self-evaluators, and analytical writers for service in clinical and administrative settings.     

Simplifying the writing process for the novice writer.

Nurses take responsibility for reading information to update their professional knowledge and to meet relicensure requirements. However, nurses are less enthusiastic about writing for professional publication. This article explores the reluctance of nurses to write, the reasons why writing for publication is important to the nursing profession, the importance of mentoring to potential writers, and basic information about simplifying the writing process for novice writers.     

Writing academic papers: a guide for prospective authors.

As a journal Editor, I examine many papers and work alongside authors to maximize the likelihood of publication. During the course of this activity, several issues concerning writing for publication have emerged. In this article, I will use these experiences to help novice writers to prepare their work for publication. I will also draw on my personal experience as an author of academic and popular papers and as a book author and editor. If you find the article useful, please do distribute it freely amongst colleagues.     

Creative writing in recovery from severe mental illness

There is evidence that creative writing forms an important part of the recovery experience of people affected by severe mental illness. In this paper, we consider theoretical models that explain how creative writing might contribute to recovery, and we discuss the potential for creative writing in psychosocial rehabilitation. We argue that the rehabilitation benefits of creative writing might be optimized through focus on process and technique in writing, rather than content, and that consequently, the involvement of professional writers might be important. We describe a pilot workshop that deployed these principles and was well‐received by participants. Finally, we make recommendations regarding the role of creative writing in psychosocial rehabilitation for people recovering from severe mental illness and suggest that the development of an evidence base regarding the effectiveness of creative writing is a priority.     

The use of structured reflective journal questions to promote fundamental development of clinical decision-making abilities of the first-semester nursing student

The ability to reflect is becoming a core competency in many nursing educational programs. A clinical journal assignment was developed for first-semester (novice) nursing students. The aim was to see if the process of reflection-on-action through the medium of journal writing promoted fundamental clinical decision-making abilities of the first semester nursing student. This author discusses components of the clinical decision-making process used to structure six clinical journal questions for use by the first semester nursing students during their clinical rotation. Exemplars of students' self-reported reflections are included.     

Bathing people with dementia: when education is not enough

This qualitative study describes health care assistants' (HCA) perceptions and experiences related to bathing people with dementia in residential care settings. Data were collected from three focus groups with 18 HCA participants from 12 different residential care facilities. HCAs constructed two definitions of a successful bath, which informed their choice of bathing strategies. Three themes emerged from the data analysis in regard to their bathing strategies: I Know You, I Am All Alone, and I Am Not Prepared. These data informed the development of a framework to guide gerontological nurses in creating and supporting the opportunity for successful bathing.     

Facilitating writing for publication

In order to develop physiotherapy practice and interventions, it is essential that both service development and research be brought into the public domain. Writing for publication requires a high level of writing skills, and clinicians facing competing demands for their time need strategies for productive writing. These skills and strategies are not always developed in undergraduate or postgraduate courses. This study assessed a writing for publication course for allied health professionals. It explored the writing skills and strategies that participants developed during the course. It also assessed whether these skills and strategies were sustained in clinical workplaces after the course. Clinical professionals, including physiotherapists, who had attended the 6-month course were identified. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 of the 14 participants (four males, 10 females), including six physiotherapists. The results show that course participants reported a range of benefits, which included improved skills and increased confidence. They also increased their published output. However, participants also identified the need for ongoing support. This paper identifies the main issues in establishing writing for publication as part of the allied health professional role.     

专科护理论文写作新模式

针对专科护理研究文章写作中存在的主要缺陷，探讨了一种新的论文写作形式，该模式以护理程序为依据，以整体护理为指导思想，可以比较客观地反映病人对护理工作的反应，体现护理工作的科学性。     

Reflection as infiltration: learning in the experiential domain

This paper discusses part of an ethnomethodological study of a short, post-registration course in communication in palliative care The study describes the different perceptions, expectations and reflections of the participants and the facilitators as they engaged together in learning through role-play, simulated interviews with patients and discussion The emotionally challenging nature of experiential teaching in palliative care appeared to present the facilitators of the course with a number of dilemmas The facilitators' reflections upon these dilemmas appeared to lead them to develop a series of strategies in an attempt to resolve them During the study it became clear that some aspects of these strategies were withheld from the participants These strategies and the reasoning behind them are described together with the participants 'response The study demonstrates how the participants' reflections upon the facihtatorled exercises led them to infiltrate the strategies adopted by the facilitators The purpose of these strategies and the significance of the participants' unearthing of them are interpreted within the conceptual framework of Schon's 'reflective practitioner' The findings are discussed in relation to current nurse education and the possible implications for curriculum planning and development     

An evaluation of college and low-income youth writing together: self-discovery and cultural connection

Although the health and healing effects of writing have been documented in the literature, most of the studies have focused primarily on individuals writing alone. This formative evaluation is a component of an intervention reported elsewhere. The evaluation describes the experience of low-income youth and college students (n = 7) writing in a group during a 10-week workshop. The results revealed the development of protective processes of self-esteem, self-efficacy, coping strategies, social support, and cultural connections. In the weekly 2-hr writing sessions, using the Amherst Writers and Artists method, participants were encouraged to write their stories in their own voices in response to prompts, followed by reading aloud and positive feedback. At the end of the 10 weeks participants were interviewed about their experience within the group and outside the group. Analysis of interviews revealed two themes that emerged from the experience of writing together: connection to self through feelings, reflection, and behaviors; and connection to others through learning and empathy. The results suggest that writing in a group using a specific approach facilitated emotional catharsis, increased self knowledge, coping strategies, and understanding and appreciating of others.